Returning home from work, a blonde was shocked
to find her house ransacked and burglarized. She telephoned the police at once and reported the crime. The police dispatcher
broadcast the call and a K-9 unit patrolling nearby was the first to respond.
As the K-9 officer approached the house
with his dog on a leash, the blonde ran out on the porch, shuddered at the sight of the cop and his dog, then sat down on
the steps.
Putting her face in her hands, she moaned: "I come home to find all my possessions stolen. I call the police
for help, and what do they do? They send me a BLIND policeman!"
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A Dispatcher's Prayer
Dear Lord, help me keep safe those who
depend on me. Give me healthy ears,
for they are my link with those who need me. Keep my mind sharp and alert,
my fingers
quick and nimble. Grant that I never forget
how to do ten things at once, and do them all equally well.
Bless me with
patience Lord.
Patience to deal with the public, with the officers, with the boss,
and with everyone else who makes
me want to grit my teeth and yell.
Give me nerves of steel, that I may listen to a mother screaming
for her child to
live, the man with a gun,
or an officer yelling for backup, and not give way to panic.
Grant me empathy, that I may
help the battered wife, the rape victim,
the abused child, and not cause them more pain than they already have.
God,
give me the ability to learn what I need, to remember it quickly,
and give me the wisdom to use the knowledge properly.
Bless
my family Lord, for they will have to make sacrifices to shift work,
overtime, canceled plans and times when I just can't
take on one more thing.
Help them understand the missed ball games, school programs and dinners for two.
Lord, give
me courage. Courage to persevere when I feel
undervalued, unappreciated, overworked and unrecognized.
Courage to keep
trying when I feel in my heart it's hopeless.
Last of all Lord, help me to never forget
why I chose this job in the
first place,
to never lose sight of what is important in the midst of the stress.
Help me to remember that I make a
difference,
however small it may seem some days, and that I matter.
I am a dispatcher, Lord, grant me peace.
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Dispatcher: Nine-one-one
Caller:
Hi, is this the police?
Dispatcher: This is 911. Do you need police assistance?
Caller: Well, I don't know who
to call. Can you tell me how to
cook a turkey? I've never cooked one before.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Just A Dispatcher"
I TAKE A BREATH AS I SIT DOWN,
GOD GIVE ME STRENGTH TO MAKE THIS ROUND
SO MANY LIVES, I HOLD IN
HAND,
SO MANY PEOPLE WITH DEMANDS.
MY FIRST CALL, A CHILD IS SCREAMING,
DADDY'S BEATING MOM AND SHE'S NOT BREATHING.
IT'S HARD TO DEAL
WITH AND STAY CALM,
THE CHILD YELLS, "DAD'S GOT A GUN!"
I HAVE TO TAKE CONTROL AND SAY,
PLEASE SLOW DOWN THEY'RE ON THEIR WAY
AS I DISPATCH TO MY DEPUTIES,
"10-47, THERE IS WEAPONS"
TEN THOUSAND THINGS RUSH THROUGH MY HEAD,
GOD I PRAY SHE'S NOT DEAD.
STAY ON THE PHONE AND TALK
TO ME,
AS I RISE TO MY FEET.
THE COPS ARE HERE THE CHILD
IS SAYING,
STAY ON
THE LINE AS I START PRAYING.
"BE ADVISED HE HAS A GUN,
AND HE ALSO HAS HIS SON."
NOW I HAVE AN OPEN LINE,
JUST A DISPATCHER
IN THE BLIND
"DISPATCH," I HEARD HIM SAY,
"HIS NAME IS TEDDY AND
HE'S OKAY."
THEY CLEAR THE SCENE FROM THE CALL,
NOT ONE DEPUTY HAD TO FALL.
I TAKE A BREATH AS I SIT DOWN,
THANK YOU GOD, WE MADE THAT ROUND.
I'M JUST A DISPATCHER, CAN'T
YOU SEE
JUST A LIFELINE BETWEEN YOU AND ME.
By
Donna Lindsey
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|
This poem is dedicated
to the Dispatchers
of all
agencies. Thank YOU for being there for us! |
Our dispatchers are our lifeline.
Without them we would
be lost
If we did not have them
What would be the cost?
We would have no information
On the criminals we pursue.
And
when we got into trouble,
Without them what would we do?
They're our link to our nearest backup,
they get info on
cars we have stopped.
Without them on the radio,
We wouldn't be much of a cop.
They call out the fire trucks and medics,
And they deal
with the walk ins and freaks.
And every other situation,
That through our front door peaks.
So the next time you push the button,
And into the mike
you speak.
Just remember to appreciate the voice
On the other end, that's there from week to week.
Our Dispatchers are our lifeline,
I know this to be true.
Cause
I sure wouldn't want to be out there,
Without one to protect us, the way that they do!
Author Unknown
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Anonymous
Voices"
We sit in a room...
So dark and small...
Waiting for ...
A 911 call...
We listen to your voice...
And hear your pain...
We want to help....
Although at times it seems
to be in vain...
Our job isn't glamorous...
It isn't for all...
We're there to help...
When you make that call...
There's crying...
And screaming....
And small voices in pain...
That breaks our hearts....
But
in that there's no shame....
To hear a small child.....
Scared because mom isn't home....
Or the voice of an old woman....
Who's
husband just moans.....
We don't ask for fanfare....
Or even a cheer.....
It's enough to know....
That help is finally
near.....
Our job is to help.....
To make you feel safe....
To make those long moments...
Go quickly as
they came....
And at the end of the day......
When we can shut off our fears....
We get in our cars.....
And
shed a few tears....
Because the next day we'll be back....
In a room dark and small....
Waiting for....
A 911 call.....
Written by:
Lawrence Roche
Dispatcher for
Plainview Police Department
Plainview, Texas
